SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UPLOADING LOCATION INFORMATION BASED ON DEVICE MOVEMENT

• US 20130237204A1
• Filed: 04/15/2013
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F-Secure Corporation (F-Secure Oyj)
• Original Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Inventors: Mahaffey, Kevin Patrick, Buck, Brian James
• Granted Patent: US 9,042,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/16 Anti-theft; Abduction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/34 Power consumption
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

Systems and methods for uploading location information based on device movement are disclosed. In some embodiments, location information may be received or determined by a mobile communications device. The location information may be associated with a physical location of the mobile communications device. A rate of movement of the mobile communications device may be identified. In some embodiments, the location information may be transmitted or uploaded from the mobile communications device to a server. The frequency of the transmitting or uploading of the location information may be based on the rate of movement of the mobile communications device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobile communications device, location information associated with a physical location of the mobile communications device;

identifying a rate of movement of the mobile communications device; and

transmitting, to a server, the location information from the mobile communications device, a rate of the transmitting of the location information to the server is based on the rate of movement of the mobile communications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of the transmitting is based on the rate of movement such that the rate of the transmitting is increased if the rate of movement of the mobile communications device is increased.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of the transmitting is based on the rate of movement such that the rate of the transmitting is increased if the rate of movement of the mobile communications device is decreased.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of the transmitting of the location information to the server is based on the rate of movement of the mobile communications device such that the location information is transmitted when the rate of movement of the mobile communications device falls toward zero.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the mobile communications device, a request to track the mobile communications device,

wherein the receiving of the location information is performed in response to the receiving of the request to track the mobile communications device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of movement of the mobile communications device is identified by internal sensors of the mobile communications device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate of movement of the mobile communications device is identified based on a signal strength from a signal source, the signal source comprising at least one of a cell phone tower and a Wi-Fi base station.

8. A method comprising:

determining, by a mobile communications device, location-related information for the mobile communications device;

identifying a velocity of the mobile communications device; and

transmitting, to a server, the location-related information from the mobile communications device at a rate based on the velocity of the mobile communications device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the location-related information comprises an identification of at least one of a Wi-Fi access point or a cell tower associated with a location of the mobile communications device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the rate of the transmitting is based on the velocity such that the rate of the transmitting is increased if the velocity of the mobile communications device is increased and the rate of the transmitting is decreased if the velocity of the mobile communications device is decreased.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the rate of the transmitting is based on the velocity such that the rate of the transmitting is increased if the velocity of the mobile communications device is decreased and the rate of the transmitting is decreased if the velocity of the mobile communications device is increased.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the rate of the transmitting of the location-related information to the server is based on the velocity of the mobile communications device such that the location information is transmitted as the velocity of the mobile communications device falls toward zero.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the velocity of the mobile communications device is identified based on a signal strength from a signal source, the signal source comprising at least one of a cell phone tower and a Wi-Fi base station.

14. A method comprising:

identifying, by a mobile communications device, a rate of movement of the mobile communications device;

determining a mode for the mobile communications device based on the identified rate of movement of the mobile communications device, the mode being at least one of a lost mode or a stolen mode; and

operating the mobile communications device based on the mobile communications device being in the lost mode or the stolen mode such that the device operates differently when in the lost mode as opposed to when in the stolen mode.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determination of the mode for the mobile communications device is further based on at least one interaction with the mobile communications device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one interaction with the mobile communications device comprises at least one of a removal of a battery of the mobile communications device, a turning on a display of the mobile communications device, a removing of a cover of the mobile communications device, a removing of a subscriber identity module (SIM) card of the mobile communications device, and an establishing of an external connection to the mobile communications device.

17. The method of claim 14, the method further comprising:

receiving a remote request to indicate that the mobile communications device has been either lost or stolen,

wherein the determining of the mode for the mobile communications device is performed in response to the receiving of the request.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of the mode for the mobile communications device is performed in response to the mobile communications device not transmitting a check-in notice to a server within a predefined time interval.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining of the mode for the mobile communications device based on the rate of movement is such that a high rate of movement is associated with the stolen mode and a low rate of movement is associated with the lost mode.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the rate of movement of the mobile communications device is identified by internal sensors of the mobile communications device.